DHHS to outsource Medicaid staff
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services plans to outsource the work currently performed by DHHS’ 10-employee Medical Review Team to a division of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
The Bangor Daily News reported DHHS in June will enter into a $5.6 million, 25-month contract with Commonwealth Medicine in Shrewsbury, Mass., UMass Medical School’s public consulting division. The work involves determining whether people are disabled, for the purpose of qualifying for state-funded health coverage. The state chose the vendor without asking for bids from other potential providers.
The annual price tag of $2.7 million is more than the $1.1 million set aside in DHHS’ budget for the first year of the contract, the newspaper reported.
“It’s always been a state function to determine eligibility for Medicaid. If they start with this, where else will they go?” Mary Anne Turowski, director of politics and legislation for the Maine State Employees Association, told the BDN.
Former Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew projected last year that the move would save Maine taxpayers money, the newspaper reported, adding that the federal government is likely to pay for 75% of the cost of the contractor’s services, compared with funding 50% of the Medical Review Team’s costs.
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